Post by RobRedDevil on Aug 13, 2011 23:59:24 GMT 1
I was looking forward to a pretty good match between Newcastle United and Arsenal. What I got was an angry confrontation that might have resulted in many sendings off.
Anyway, from what we know about Joey Barton, he has a long history of being a bad boy both in football and outside of football. He has almost as many red cards as the likes of Duncan Ferguson, Vinnie Jones or even Patrick Vieira.
Over the last couple of years, we have seen the evolution of Joey Barton in the black and white of Newcastle, and has delivered many MOTM performances. He was able to use all that built-up energy and turn it into something positive.
So, what happened today during the match? First of all he was challenging for the ball with Alex Song. There was nothing wrong with that, except that when Joey Barton was lying on the pitch, Song decided to stamp on his calf muscle.
On first looks at normal speed, it looks as though he might have playacting but, when the replay is shown, we see clearly the stamp. Joey Barton had every right to complain to the 4th official, whether we like him or not, every player has the right to the same level of protection as others.
He managed to keep his calm during the rest of the match until what it seemed like a Gervinho dive in Newcastles box. This is what rattled Barton's cage and I am sure other footballers have done it before where they have picked up a cheat from the floor.
This doesn't excuse Bartons reaction, although being a little over the top, was perhaps a little justified as it is all about playing the game fair and square. What Gervinho did though was stupid. He raised his hands and this is clearly a red card offence, no matter what anyone says. Barton of course warranted a yellow, but Gervinho merited a red. If you will, we can compare the situation where Drogba received a red for a slight slap on Vidic and he got expulsed.
I personally think that we should let sleeping dogs lie and perhaps we may finally see the best of Joey Barton this season for his team. He has finally grown-up and taking his role seriously in the Newcastle team. For how long, that is anybodies guess. All I can say is, good luck Joey Barton.
Anyway, from what we know about Joey Barton, he has a long history of being a bad boy both in football and outside of football. He has almost as many red cards as the likes of Duncan Ferguson, Vinnie Jones or even Patrick Vieira.
Over the last couple of years, we have seen the evolution of Joey Barton in the black and white of Newcastle, and has delivered many MOTM performances. He was able to use all that built-up energy and turn it into something positive.
So, what happened today during the match? First of all he was challenging for the ball with Alex Song. There was nothing wrong with that, except that when Joey Barton was lying on the pitch, Song decided to stamp on his calf muscle.
On first looks at normal speed, it looks as though he might have playacting but, when the replay is shown, we see clearly the stamp. Joey Barton had every right to complain to the 4th official, whether we like him or not, every player has the right to the same level of protection as others.
He managed to keep his calm during the rest of the match until what it seemed like a Gervinho dive in Newcastles box. This is what rattled Barton's cage and I am sure other footballers have done it before where they have picked up a cheat from the floor.
This doesn't excuse Bartons reaction, although being a little over the top, was perhaps a little justified as it is all about playing the game fair and square. What Gervinho did though was stupid. He raised his hands and this is clearly a red card offence, no matter what anyone says. Barton of course warranted a yellow, but Gervinho merited a red. If you will, we can compare the situation where Drogba received a red for a slight slap on Vidic and he got expulsed.
I personally think that we should let sleeping dogs lie and perhaps we may finally see the best of Joey Barton this season for his team. He has finally grown-up and taking his role seriously in the Newcastle team. For how long, that is anybodies guess. All I can say is, good luck Joey Barton.